Editing Robo (musician)

{{short description|American drummer}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{BLP sources|date=October 2011}}
{{Infobox musical artist  <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name              = Robo
| image             = Misfits3.jpg
| caption           = Robo with Misfits (2001)
| image_size        = 
| background        = non_vocal_instrumentalist
| birth_name        = Julio Roberto Valverde Valencia
| alias             = 
| birth_place       = [[Cali]], Colombia
| birth_date        = {{birth year and age|1955}}
| death_date        = 
| instrument        = Drums
| genre             = [[Horror punk]], [[punk rock]], [[Heavy metal music|heavy metal]], [[hardcore punk]]
| occupation        = Musician, drummer
| years_active      = 1977–present
| label             = 
| current_member_of = 
| past_member_of    = [[Misfits (band)|Misfits]], [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]]
| website           = 
}}

'''Julio Roberto Valverde Valencia''' (born 1955<ref>His year of birth is found in the timeline of [http://www.misfitscentral.com/misfits/timeline.php MisfitsCentral.com]</ref>), better known by his [[stage name]] '''Robo''', is a [[Colombian Americans|Colombian-American]] drummer. He came to prominence in the early 1980s with punk band [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]], and more recently has been a member of [[Misfits (band)|Misfits]].

==Life and career==
Robo (at the time known by his birth name, Roberto Valverde), born in [[Cali]], who came to the United States on a student visa in early 1975. He stayed after the visa expired.<ref>{{cite book|last=Blush|first=Steven|author-link=Steven Blush|title=[[American Hardcore: A Tribal History]]|year=2010|publisher=[[Feral House]]|location=Port Townsend, WA|isbn=978-0-922915-71-2|pages=58|edition=Second}}</ref>

Robo began playing drums in 1976, while living in [[El Segundo, California]] and working in a plastics factory. In 1978, he joined Black Flag as the band's second drummer, replacing Brian Migdol. He toured and recorded with them through 1981, performing on the EPs ''[[Jealous Again]]'' and ''[[Six Pack (EP)|Six Pack]]'', and their first full-length album, ''[[Damaged (Black Flag album)|Damaged]]''. He was forced out of the band after being detained at Heathrow Airport over visa complications just prior to Black Flag's return from their 1982 UK tour; in order to fulfill existing commitments back in the US, the band replaced Robo before he was able to return to the country. When he did eventually return later that year, he learned that the [[Misfits (band)|Misfits]] were seeking a drummer. He relocated to New Jersey to join that band full-time, touring and recording the ''[[Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood]]'' album before quitting in the summer of 1983, a few months before The Misfits' final dissolution. Robo would eventually, along with [[Jerry Only|Jerry]] and [[Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein|Doyle]] Caiafa and [[Franché Coma|Frank LiCata]] (aka Franché Coma), be a party to the 1992 lawsuit against [[Glenn Danzig]] which led to the settlement of unpaid back royalties to Danzig's former Misfits bandmates, as well as provisions for the apportionment of future royalties and merchandising/licensing rights. This settlement was also significant in establishing the exclusive right of the plaintiffs, rather than Danzig, to perform and record as The Misfits moving forward, giving rise to the Caiafas' revamped version of the band from 1995 on.

In 2003, Robo drummed for Black Flag during their reunion shows. He was joined by [[Dez Cadena]] on vocals and rhythm guitar, [[Greg Ginn]] on lead guitar, and [[C'el Revuelta]] on bass. In 2005, he rejoined the Misfits, then featuring Jerry Only on bass and vocals and fellow former Black Flag member Cadena on guitar. When touring, the band played Misfits songs as well as Black Flag songs, with Cadena singing the Black Flag songs. Robo appeared on the "[[Land of the Dead (song)|Land of the Dead]]" single.

He was briefly mentioned in the [[Jim Jarmusch]] short film ''[[Coffee and Cigarettes: Somewhere in California]]'' by [[Iggy Pop]], who suggested using Robo's drumming talents to an offended [[Tom Waits]].

Robo has been married once, to Barbara Mazzone Valverde, and they have one son, Vincent Valverde (formerly of the band TALP), who was born on December 6, 1985. Robo and Barbara subsequently divorced.

In 2010, Robo dropped out of the Misfits due to passport troubles.

On January 25, 2013, it was announced that Robo would be participating in Black Flag's upcoming reunion show at [[Hevy Music Festival]] in [[Folkestone]], their first UK show in 30 years, in August.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=185346 |title=Black Flag Is Back |publisher=Blabbermouth.net |date=January 25, 2013 |access-date=2013-01-25}}</ref> A few days later, it was announced that Gregory Moore would be the drummer for Black Flag, not Robo.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/49325-greg-ginnron-reyes-black-flag-reunion-lineup-to-tour-and-record-this-year/|title=Greg Ginn/Ron Reyes Black Flag Reunion Lineup to Tour and Record This Year|first=Jenn|last=Pelly|website=Pitchfork.com|date=January 28, 2013 |access-date=September 17, 2020}}</ref>

==Playing style==
Robo's drum style relies heavily on open [[Hi-hat (instrument)|high-hat]] to generate the frenetic sounds on early Black Flag records. His signature drum kit during that era was transparent to match [[Greg Ginn]]'s see-through [[Dan Armstrong]] guitar, and was unique in that all of the drums and cymbals were parallel to the ground rather than tilted towards him in the typical style. He was also known for wearing plastic and metal bracelets during concerts and recording sessions; they can sometimes be heard faintly clattering on recordings. While many drummers utilize a style which uses quick movements originating from the wrist, Robo's style consists of stiff, robotic movements of the entire arm. His stage name was given to him by his Black Flag bandmates, and is both a play on his name (Roberto) and a reference to his drumming style.

==Discography==
===Black Flag===
* ''[[Jealous Again]]'' EP ([[SST Records]], 1980)
* "[[Six Pack (EP)|Six Pack]]" EP (SST Records, 1981)
* "[[Louie Louie]]" single ([[Posh Boy Records]], 1981)
* ''[[Damaged (Black Flag album)|Damaged]]'' (SST Records, 1981)
* ''[[Everything Went Black]]'' compilation (SST Records, 1983) – selected tracks
* ''[[The First Four Years (album)|The First Four Years]]'' compilation (SST Records, 1983) – selected tracks
* ''[[Wasted...Again]]'' compilation (SST Records, 1987) – selected tracks
Note:  Robo was credited as the drummer on early pressings of Black Flag's ''[[Nervous Breakdown (EP)|Nervous Breakdown]]'' EP but did not play on the actual recording.

===The Misfits===
* ''[[Earth A.D./Wolfs Blood]]'' (1983)
* "[[Die, Die My Darling]]" single (1984) – selected tracks
* ''[[Misfits (Misfits album)|Misfits]]'' compilation (1986) – selected tracks
* ''[[Collection II]]'' compilation (1995) – selected tracks
* ''[[The Misfits (album)|The Misfits Box Set]]'' (1996) – selected tracks
* ''[[Cuts from the Crypt]]'' (2001) – on the song "Rise Above"
* "[[Land of the Dead (song)|Land of the Dead]]" single (2009)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.misfitscentral.com/bios/robo.php MisfitsCentral.com] – band bio of Robo
* [https://archive.org/details/The_Misfits_January_07_1983_Dearborn_Michigan_Live Recording of Robo playing with the Misfits]

{{Black Flag}}
{{Misfits}}
{{The Undead}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robo}}
[[Category:1955 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Musicians from Cali]]
[[Category:Colombian rock musicians]]
[[Category:Black Flag (band) members]]
[[Category:Misfits (band) members]]
[[Category:The Undead members]]
[[Category:American punk rock drummers]]
[[Category:American male drummers]]
[[Category:Hardcore punk musicians]]
[[Category:Horror punk musicians]]
[[Category:Colombian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Colombian percussionists]]
[[Category:20th-century American drummers]]